Getting a Security Education at GSX

Getting a Security Education at GSX

Seeing the technology and offerings first-hand was eye-opening at my first conference.

While the GSX conference has gotten smaller each year, my first one was the opposite of uneventful. I spent most of my days in Chicago on the exhibit floor, walking between the companies we covered for our Live From GSX 2019 program. In between stops, I had the chance to visit some of the other exhibitors and learn about their offerings in this rapidly changing industry.

As someone who has only written about security issues from a distance, it was fascinating to see how professionals approached the challenges we write about on a daily basis at Security Today. Among them is the upcoming government ban on federal contractors using Chinese video surveillance technology, which has posed strategic problems for companies large and small. I heard the topic brought up multiple times throughout GSX, and businesses offering video surveillance services are still moving to make sure they can meet the requirements.

In addition, I was eager to see how the cyber and physical security industries interacted at the conference. My main takeaway was that the two sectors are increasingly reliant on each other to ensure services like access control and video surveillance are not vulnerable to cyber threats. 

That’s no surprise — experts have expressed similar views for years. But while there is increasing acknowledgment of this relationship, the two fields still feel a bit disconnected. 

It’s admirable that physical security experts are willing to let cybersecurity pros take over when they’re not confident they can handle a customer’s need. However, there could be potentially negative consequences when people on the physical side don’t know the right questions to ask, or don’t recognize that a solution requires more stringent cybersecurity protection than usual. The same could be said of people on the cyber side who are not aware of how their solutions could be potentially burdensome (financially or otherwise) on consumers, dealers or integrators. 

The best part of conferences like GSX is that they bring people from across this broad industry together to learn about their customer needs, but also the technology and challenges that their competitors are taking on. The education element, even outside of GSX’s speaker sessions, stood out to me — someone who is continuing to learn more about the industry day by day.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.